A Cry in the Night
by DarkStrider
Summary: When Temperance Brennan hears the wailing of a child in the night, she had no idea what vast repercussions it would have on her life.
1. Chapter 1

A Cry In The Night

A Cry In The Night

Disclaimer: "BONES" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and © by 20th CENTURY FOX TELEVISION.

Chapter 1

Temperance growled angrily as, once more, the squalling of the neighbour's baby intruded on her consciousness. It had been three hours since it started, and despite her good relationship with her neighbour, her obvious inability to make the child stop crying was grating on her last nerve.

Finally, fed up with the annoying sound, she rose from her desk and grabbed her keys from the small dish on her counter top as she passed. Her faithful, sturdy door was jerked open harshly and she stomped over to the neighbour in question and began banging with the meaty ball of her fist.

"Anita!" she called. The crying – muffled now by the door and several rooms – continued unabated. "Anita! Answer the door!" Silence except for the wailing of an infant. Temperance frowned, concern beginning to grow. She pressed her ear to the door and listened. Aside from the baby's cries, there was no other sound. She banged again just in case before pulling out her cell phone and hitting the speed dial.

"Booth," the familiar voice responded on the third ring.

"Booth, it's me," Temperance said.

"Bones? What's wrong?" he said, picking up on the concern in her tone.

"My neighbour has a baby. It's not stopped crying for three hours and she won't answer her door." There was a lengthy pause as he digested her statement.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't bust in, Bones, you don't have authority. If something's wrong…" he trailed off and she could hear the jangle of keys as he rushed around.

"Hurry," she urged before ringing off.

The ten minutes it took for Booth to arrive was filled with a nervous tension that settled like a lead ball in her stomach. She could hear the wailing continuing and desperately hoped there was nothing wrong, even as logic dictated that no mother would leave her child so vulnerable for a length of time.

When Booth finally arrived, her face was pale and drawn, her blue eyes filled with worry. He silently drew his gun and knocked on the door with the butt of the handle.

"Ma'am? This is Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI. Please open the door, ma'am!" As before, there was no answer. He nodded to Temperance and lashed out with a kick, the door splintering around the lock and chain latch. Immediately he moved inside, leading with his gun as he checked each room for danger, his partner following close behind. When they came to the child's bedroom, she rushed inside and began fussing over the child.

"Hey, it's okay," she cooed, "we're here. We're going to find your mother, don't worry." Seeley allowed his eyes to rest on his partner before protocol re-asserted itself and he began searching the two remaining rooms. In the bathroom, he found what he was looking for.

"Damn. Bones, in here," he said. She came in, holding the fussing infant in her arms and looked down at the sprawled form of her neighbour, her skin the chalky colour of death. A large bottle of pills were clutched in her hand, its contents empty. Seeley leant down and peered at the bottle. "The prescription was filled yesterday," he said. "Looks like she might have taken it all. There would have been enough for two weeks." Temperance looked sad.

"She was nice," she said. "A little quiet, but I thought that was just how she was." Booth patted her on the shoulder gently and pulled out his cell.

"I'll call it in," he said.

It took a further twenty minutes for the coroner to arrive and take the body, and in the meantime Temperance had returned to her apartment and located the supplies she used to take care of Andy several weeks prior. Seeley looked surprised when she withdrew the items from a cupboard under the sink and began changing the infant's soiled diaper clumsily. He chuckled at her increasing frustration when the baby refused to stay still and stepped forward to intervene.

"Easy there, Bones. Let me do it. I have practice, remember?" he said. She huffed, but conceded. "What's his name?" he asked absently as she used the baby wipes to clean the baby's bottom. She bit her lip, her brow creasing in thought.

"I think she said his name was Michael," she said. Seeley chuckled at the irony and grabbed the baby powder.

"Mikey, huh?" he said, tickling the child's belly. Mikey giggled at his new nickname, his bright blue eyes wide and happy. "Hey Mikey! My name's Seeley. Can you say Seeley? Seeeeley," he burbled, a grin stretching his face. Temperance watched with an unimpressed look.

"Don't speak to him like he's stupid, Booth," she insisted. "Studies show that if you-"

"Bones, we went over this with Andy," he interrupted. She sighed and nudged him over, looking down at Mikey sadly.

"It's like Andy all over again," she murmured. Seeley nodded, a sad smile edging his face when the baby firmly grasped his finger.

"Social services are on their way," he said. "What are you gonna do, Bones?" he asked. She turned serious eyes to him.

"I can't let him go into the system, Booth. I wouldn't let it happen to Andy, I won't let it happen to Michael," she said. Seeley felt a grin grow on his face.

"You're gonna need help," he said. She scowled, angry at the insinuation she couldn't manage, but said nothing, well aware there were many things in parenting she was ignorant of. "So you gonna adopt him?" he asked. She pursed her lips and eyed the baby as she absently wiggled her fingers over his face.

"If he has no relatives…" she trailed off, and then shrugged. "I don't know, Booth. Maybe." His smile was warm and compassionate when her eyes slid back to his face.

"Well, you know me, Bones. With you all the way," he said. Temperance felt her face take on a pleased flush and turned her face back to Mikey.

"Thanks, Booth," she said softly.

"Anytime, Bones," he replied.

The Social Services representative arrived a few minutes later, a prim, unhappy looking woman with severe features and a tweed suit. As soon as Seeley saw her, he knew he would have his hands full with his partner. The woman glanced at the two of them, her eyes judgemental and cool.

"My name is Ms. Vanessa King, I am from the Department of Social Services. And you are?" she phrased her question like a demand, and he saw his partner bristle angrily.

"Agent Seeley Booth, FBI. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan," he introduced, trying his best to remain polite.

"I see. Well, I'll take the child and be on my way," she said flatly. Temperance glowered and held Michael closer to her chest.

"You most certainly will not!" she snapped quietly. "There are procedures you have to go through before you take a child!" Miss King remained unimpressed and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't tell me how to do my job," she replied, and Seeley felt he had to step forward before his partner somehow managed to get a hold of his gun and shoot someone.

"Ms. King," he began, "My partner is correct. We've actually gone through a similar situation a few weeks prior, and we were granted temporary custody as she is a registered foster parent. Check your records. All we want from you is to check if he has any living relatives and another grant of temporary custody." He eyed her mulish expression for a moment before continuing. "You are surely aware that any formal request from the Bureau over this issue will be met with approval from your superiors. Dr. Brennan and I have highly successful jobs. As her partner I would be lending assistance and protection to the child."

Ms. King's face remained carved from stone, but she nodded sharply once before spinning away and pulling her own cell to make a call. Seeley exchanged weary looks with his partner and scrubbed his face with his hand. "It's gonna be a long night," he muttered. She nodded in agreement, gently bouncing the baby, who remained fast asleep.

"He'll be hungry soon," she murmured. "I have some formula remaining in the bags," she said. Seeley nodded and moved into the kitchen to prepare something for Mikey, Temperance following carefully on his heels. She propped herself on her counter top as she watched him fish out the various bottles and teat lids before mixing the formula in the bottle and shaking it. he popped it in her microwave and set the timer, grinning softly at her whenever he glanced at the recumbent figure she held against her shoulder.

"He's a cute one, Bones," he said. She rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips despite her best efforts to the contrary.

"You say that about every baby, Booth," she said. His grin widened and he came to stand next to her, glancing between the baby and her eyes continuously. "What?" Temperance asked, somewhat unnerved at his proximity and the warm, affectionate look in his eyes.

"You look good with a baby, Bones," he said. Suddenly self-conscious, she looked away from his penetrating stare. Crisp footsteps announced the return of Ms. King and they both turned. Her expression was not pleased, as far as it differed from before.

"It seems everything checks out," she said. "My superiors confirmed you had successfully taken care of another minor and have approved temporary custody provided you fill out the forms that I have with me." She lifted her briefcase and removed a large sheaf of documents which she handed to Booth. "I will need them immediately," she said flatly at his incredulous stare.

"Right," he muttered, remembering that last time the forms had taken them two hours to fill out. Hopefully familiarity would help them here. At that point, Michael awoke and began to wail, obviously hungry. Temperance looked panicked, but collected the formula from the microwave and lifted it up. Aware of the terrible repercussions should she complete her intended action before the Social Services rep, Seeley stepped forward with a smile and took the bottle from her unprotesting fingers, his eyes pleading.

"I'll test that for you, Bones. You've got your hands full," he said. Her eyes looked questioning, but she nodded and continued to gently bounce Michael in her arms. Breathing a sigh of relief, Seeley gently upended the bottle on the inside of his wrist to test the heat of the formula. Thankfully it was just warm enough, so he handed it over with a reassuring smile. He turned to find Ms. King watching them like a hawk and smiled genially.

"Ms. King, how old is he?" he asked. She glanced at a small pad she held in her hands briefly.

"According to our records he is six months, born February fifteenth," she said. Seeley glanced back to find Michael ravenously sucking on the bottle, his partner's face still reflecting her shock at holding a baby. He doubted she would ever lose the look and wrestled a grin off of his face.

"Thank you," he said. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, and then smiled. Seeley swallowed, recognising it for the evil portents it brought.

"Our records also state that you are the only one with experience in raising a child. And that this is not your address. The child must remain with a registered foster parent," she said. "I hope you understand my concerns when I say that you will be required to be present," she added. At this, Brennan's head snapped up, pinning Seeley with a look that in no uncertain terms said he was not going to be staying.

"Don't worry about it," Seeley said dismissively. "Dr. Brennan has already requested that I stay to assist," he lied. Temperance's glare ratcheted up to epic levels of lethality and he felt his throat bob nervously. He offered her a shaky smile, praying she kept her mouth shut and didn't object. Either she was wearing her logic hat or God was listening, as she returned her attention back to Michael, who had finished his bottle and was beginning to fuss.

"I see," Ms. King said. "Then perhaps I shall give you some time to fill out those forms. I will expect them to be delivered to my office by no later than ten a.m. Are we clear?" she asked. Seeley gave a grateful nod and smile which was frostily returned. "Then goodnight," she said, stiffly marching from the apartment. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at his partner.

"He needs burping," he advised at her perplexed expression. "Remember? Just put a towel on your shoulder before you do it, unless you want puke on your top," he added jokingly. She shot him a frigid glare, but did as instructed. "I have to give a report to the cops," he said, indicating the officer standing patiently in the hall. She nodded and continued attempting to get Michael to burp. By the shining glee on his face, it would take a while.

The officer was efficient and easy-going, taking the information Seeley provided with only a few clarifying questions before thanking him and departing to write up the report on the death of Anita Jane Hansen. When Seeley returned, he found his partner sitting on the couch, her face a mixture of horrified and amused as Michael sucked happily on the front of her top, right over her left breast.

_I hear ya, man,_ Seeley thought with a grin. He cleared his throat and her eyes flickered up to freeze him with a nasty glare.

"So, you're staying, are you, Booth?" she said.

"I know you're upset, Bones," he began. She cut him off swiftly.

"Upset? Upset? Why would I be upset that you assumed I would need your help, _again_ and invited yourself into my home to stay for the foreseeable future?" Seeley swallowed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, Bones, you need my help whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. At least until you learn some more about taking care of a kid. You let Andy have keys, for crying out loud!" he paused and took a breath. "We can buy you some books," he explained. "But until everything's sorted out, you need me, okay?" He watched her carefully, seeing her lips compress into a thin line as her logical mind calculated all the information she had at her disposal.

"Fine," she ground out. "You can take my couch," she said. Booth grinned.

"Where else was I gonna sleep? You only have one bedroom," he said. She glowered then her eyes widened in realisation.

"Where is he going to sleep? He can't sleep with me, I toss and turn in bed!" she said. Booth filed that information away and offered her another smile.

"Easy, I can just get a few things from next door. I already asked the cop assigned and he said it was fine." She sagged, relieved.

"Okay," she said. He turned and headed for the door. "Booth?" she called. He glanced at her over his shoulder, seeing how the lights of her apartment highlighted the curls of her hair and blazed in the pure blue of her eyes. "Thanks," she said, gifting him with a small, genuine smile. He winked.

"Anytime, Bones."

When he returned to her apartment, it was anything but tranquil. Michael had evidently decided that sucking on her top was no longer enough, and was howling at the top of his tiny lungs. Temperance looked no less upset, pacing and holding him at arms length as she tried to work out what was wrong. Seeley chuckled and settled the small crib down next to the couch.

"Try singing to him," he suggested. The panic in her eyes increased.

"Sing?" she asked, sounding strangled.

"Yes, Bones. Sing. You know, using your vocal chords to make sounds that follow a set melody?" she glared.

"I know what singing is, Booth," she growled. "I just…" she trailed off, glancing between him and the baby apprehensively.

"What, you can't sing, Bones?" he said. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Yes, I can sing. I just…not done it for a long time. My mother used to say I was a very good singer." He grinned.

"All moms say that, Bones," he said. She glared at him as if insulted that he thought her mother was being anything but completely truthful.

"Fine, don't believe me," she said. She gazed at Michael for several moments as he continued to cry before resolve stole across her face and she settled him at her hip. "Fine," she mumbled to herself. And then she began to sing. Seeley felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as her voice rose and fell like a beautiful symphony. It was soft and gentle, the words foreign to him entirely, but whatever she was singing was perfect and nearly made his heart stop.

Michael evidently liked it, and gazed up at her with an innocent, rapturous expression on his chubby face that slowly began to fade as his eyes drifted shut. Soon he slumbered, his face twitching every so often around the little thumb that sat in his mouth. Occasional sucking sounds punctuated his rest, but he remained asleep. Temperance continued to sing, a wide smile on her face that Seeley realised was the most beautiful thing in the world.

He remained staring for several minutes after she stopped singing, his mouth hanging slightly open in utter shock as he failed to process the fact that the incredible voice had issued forth from his partner of nearly three years.

"What?" she asked quietly, her brow creasing slightly as she darted uncomfortable looks at him.

"I just…I mean it was so…Bones, you can _sing_," he said reverently. She smirked, pleased with his compliment and his wordless capitulation on the issue.

"I told you so," she said. He nodded and remembered to close his mouth at last.

"Yeah, but you didn't say…" he gestured helplessly with his hand toward her, still stunned. She gave a throaty chuckle and fixed him with a look that seemed to make poor judgements of his intelligence.

"When I say I can do something, Booth," she began. He waved her off.

"Okay, okay. I get it. You can do stuff well. Fine. Let's just get him down, shall we?" he gestured at the cot and she nodded, carefully disengaging the sleeping baby from her hip and leaning over the cot.

"Which way?" she whispered.

"On his back is fine," he replied, leaning over to help draw back the blanket he had placed in the crib. Michael fussed slightly, but quickly settled down, obviously exhausted from his ordeal. Seeley and Temperance shared a fond smile before realising how close their noses were to touching and drawing apart. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded and flopped down upon the sofa wearily.

"She was nice," she murmured. "Maybe if I had paid more attention," she said.

"Bones, you couldn't have done anything. She was chronically depressed. I bet Hodgins will take one look at the bottle and tell me what it's usually prescribed for." A smile briefly flickered on her lips.

"Still," she said.

"Look, Temperance, could you have been with her twenty-four-seven?" he asked. She shook her head. "Then there was nothing you could have done. All you can do now is take care of Mikey," he said. She looked at the crib and swallowed, her face taking on a pale hue.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," she admitted. "At least with andy, we were fairly sure that someone would be found," she said. Seeley shook his head.

"No, we wanted to take care of him," he said. "C'mon, Bones, you know we would have adopted him if his mother hadn't willed him to her friends."

"We?" she said, offering him a nervous smile. He sat down next to her gently and slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, we," he echoed. "You and me, Bones, against the world."

"I don't know what that means," she said, "but statistically-" Seeley cut her off with a chuckle.

"It's just a saying, Bones. It just means we stick together. Through thick and thin, y'know?" she blinked and gave him a small smile.

"Oh. Thanks Booth," she said.

"You're saying that a lot tonight," Seeley said with a grin. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't get used to it," she growled playfully. He poked her in the side and gave her a lop-sided grin.

"You need me," he sang. "Admit it," he said, "you need me." She grumbled something inaudibly under her breath and crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked, bringing his hand to his ear. She mumbled something again, slightly louder. "I can't hear you, Bones," he teased.

"Yes, I need your help," she growled, still barely audible.

"I didn't know you cared," Seeley joked, then gasped for breath when her elbow impacted his stomach. "Oh c'mon, Bones," he wheezed, "can't you take a joke?" She sniffed indignantly before gazing at Michael's sleeping form.

"Will he be okay out here? It's not too draughty?" she asked. Seeley shook his head.

"Nah should be fine. I need to pop back to my place, though to pick up my overnight bag." Temperance nodded as he stood up. "I'll have my cell, so call if you need anything," he said. She nodded again and he smiled comfortingly at her before leaving.

When he returned, he found her curled up on the couch, her head resting right next to the cot. He studied her for several minutes, taking in the gentle curve of her neck and the seductive pout of her lips, allowing his eyes to trail over her nose and long eyelashes. He wondered privately at her sheer complexity, and realised that even if they worked together for the rest of their lives, he might not plumb the depths of her completely.

Realising where his thoughts were straying, Seeley shook himself and moved closer, gently seating himself in the void left around her stomach. He moved a lock of hair from her face and she stirred.

"I thought I was taking the couch," he murmured. She swatted at him in annoyance, but wore a small smile as she levered herself to her feet. "See you in the morning, Bones," Seeley said. She covered her mouth as she yawned and nodded, resting a soft hand on his bicep.

"G'night, Booth," she whispered, her eyes lidded sleepily. He placed his hand atop her own for a moment before she left and continued down the hall. After watching her disappear, Seeley peered down at Michael and grinned.

"This is gonna be interesting, kiddo," he whispered. He wondered how, should Michael have no living relatives, they were going to handle the situation. Would little Mikey think of he and Bones as Mom and Dad? Would they be Seeley and Tempe? He chuckled at his unintentional internal rhyme, but slowly sobered. Raising a child changed people, he knew. How would they change? He swallowed, his mind touching upon issues that bubbled up from his subconscious in the depths of his dreams and allowed himself, however briefly, to wonder.

Down the hall, Temperance stared mindlessly at her ceiling, her thoughts strangely blank. Intellectually she knew that she would be able to provide everything baby Michael would need, especially with Booth's assistance, but emotionally she felt severely out of her depth.

Could she provide the kind of emotional support that a child needed through its early growth? She knew that Booth could, and briefly allowed herself to feel a bottomless well of gratitude that she felt would never be filled that he was providing his assistance, but the gnawing teeth of doubt continued to chip away at the confidence she so easily portrayed.

She realised with a growing sense of unease that she could shortly become the mother to a defenceless innocent that would rely on her for everything and felt the cold thrill of terror creep up her spine at the thought of failure. Her thoughts jumped to her partner, and she felt the terror recede. Anything she didn't know he could provide. He could help the child with its emotional needs and it would grow up to become a healthy, well adjusted human being.

Thoughts lingering on her partner as she drifted off to sleep, she found herself re-examining him again for all of those qualities that made him a perfect father figure. Strong, with a sense of justice and honesty. Loyal and trustworthy. Good genes and body structure…

Her dreams for the rest of the night were filled with images of her partner and the baby, and she never knew of the happy, contented grin that graced her face until morning.


	2. Chapter 2

A Cry In The Night

Disclaimer: "BONES" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and © by 20th CENTURY FOX TELEVISION.

Chapter 2

Infant wailing summoned Temperance from the arms of Morpheus like a pail of Antarctic water to the face. Before she even realised what had happened she found herself up and rising to her feet, only to find them entangled with the bedcovers and the floor eagerly reaching up to kiss her face. It was not a kiss she enjoyed.

A badly stifled snigger prompted her to peel her face off of the floor and raise her eyes to its source, where she found her partner, one Seeley Booth, desperately attempting to squirrel away his mirth behind a concerned expression.

"You, ah, are you okay, Bones?" he said, his voice quavering from the strain. Apparently, Michael also found the situation funny, as he was eyeing her with undisguised glee from his position in Booth's arms and clapping happily. Gathering the tattered remnants of her pride as best she could, Temperance levered her body off of the floor. Briefly she wondered at the wide eyes and open mouth that her partner suddenly sported, but was concerned more about the baby, whom she had heard exuberantly howling his desires to the universe at large.

"I'm fine, Booth," Temperance said as she readjusted her clothing absently. "Is he okay?" she asked. Struggling to pull his eyes north of the border, Seeley forcefully rebooted his mind and diverted his attention to the bundle of joy in his arms.

"Oh, he's fine, Bones. No worries. Just hungry," he said. Temperance blinked and allowed her eyes to rest on her bedside clock.

"But he only ate three hours ago!" she protested, feeling none too pleased at the interruption. Seeley smirked, eyeing her extreme case of bed-head with poorly concealed amusement.

"Welcome to parenthood, Bones," he said. "Nice bed-head by the way," he added, nodding to her brunette locks with his chin. Her response was a frigid glare, derailed when she drifted close enough for baby Michael to grasp at her hair.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "Don't pull those, if you please," she added, gently prising them from his chubby grip. Seeley felt his eyebrows climb.

"If you please?" he parroted. "What are we, British?" he said. Temperance rolled her eyes and plucked Michael from her partner's arms.

"No, Booth, but using the correct vocabulary is important for Michael's development. Using baby talk could stunt his linguistic skills," she explained. Seeley sighed.

"I know, Bones," he said, "you said the same thing last night and the other week with Andy. Can we drop it and just treat him as a baby?"

"I am treating him as a baby, Booth. You're the one who is treating him like a mentally deficient person," Temperance said, bouncing Michael gently on her hip. Michael in turn explored her face with his tubby hands, wearing a happy, toothless grin. Seeley rubbed at his face wearily and decided that discretion was the better part of valour in this battle. He sighed.

"Okay, fine. Look, Bones, pass him over and I'll put him to sleep, okay? He's had his bottle already," he said. Temperance frowned and he barely managed to suppress a groan.

"I can do it," Temperance said, her expression doing a one-eighty. Seeley eyed her hopeful smile and found his resistance evaporating like a coke in the desert.

"Sure thing, Bones," he said, feeling strangely elated at the sunny grin she shot his way in response. He followed her to the crib and watched as she rubbed her nose against Michael's tiny, button-like counterpart with a smile before she gently lowered him into the crib and covered him with his blanket. He stayed silent as she hummed gently, perched on the arm of her couch, and stroked Michael's hair until he fell asleep. "Hey, Mommy," he teased, "you want something to drink?"

Giving him a brief look of annoyance, Temperance shook her head and covered a jaw-breaking yawn with her hand.

"No," she said at length, "I'm too tired." Immediately after, she struggled to suppress another yawn. Successfully stifling his own, Seeley nodded and gallantly gestured to the hallway.

"Okay," he said, "see you in a few hours." Temperance nodded and ran a hand through her hair as she walked past. Seeley felt himself struck dumb by the unconscious sensuality his partner exuded and allowed his eyes to drink in her pyjama-clad form, his mind drifting back to earlier, when she had clambered to her feet from the floor and given him an unrestricted view of some of her more prominent assets. "I'm gonna burn in hell," he muttered to himself.

"Did you say something, Booth?" Temperance's voice enquired. Seeley jerked his eyes from her derriere to find her looking at him with sleepy amusement, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arching above her eye.

"Uh," he stammered, "I, ah, no! nothing. Sleep well, Bones," he said, giving her a cheesy smile and praying she avoided mentioning his wandering eyes.

"I always sleep well, Booth," Temperance replied, her cheeks dimpling into a smile. Without further words, she sauntered back to her bedroom adding the tiniest strut to her walk and tossing a negligent wave over her shoulder. "Goodnight," she said.

"Night, Bones," Seeley murmured. Carefully sliding back onto his partner's large sofa, he allowed a boyish grin to grace his lips. _Ah, man. This is going to be torture_, he thought to himself. _Though for some reason, I really can't wait._

The scent of coffee roused Seeley from his comfortable slumber. Said comfort rapidly devolved into intense pain in his neck due to the awkward position he had assumed on the couch.

"Oh dear God," he whimpered. His eyes failing to process his blurry surroundings until his partner's face intruded on his personal space. "Augh!" he exclaimed, flinging himself against the back of the sofa and accidentally popping his neck back into place. Making a pleased sound, he rolled his shoulders before blinking and managing to focus his eyes. "Uh, hi, Bones," he offered lamely. Temperance looked amused as she offered him a mug of steaming coffee, settling herself near to Michael's crib and elbowing Seeley until he took the hint and gave her more room.

"Thanks," she offered absently, her eyes roving over the peacefully sleeping infant. Seeley grinned, feeling amused for a moment.

"Oh, hey. What time is it?" he asked, glancing around for a clock.

"Six thirty," Temperance replied. Seeley groaned and scrubbed at his face.

"Oh man," he muttered. "Why so early, Bones?" he asked. Temperance frowned at him over the rim of her mug of herbal tea.

"Did you forget what day it is, Booth?" she asked. Seeley stared at her in non-comprehension, occasionally taking a sip from his super-strength coffee, until she gave up. "It's Monday, Booth. Mon-day. As in, we have to go to work," she pointed out, doing so slowly, as if to a particularly slow student. Seeley blinked.

"Crap," he said. Temperance made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker, sensibly concealing it behind her mug. "What're you laughing at?" Seeley asked. Temperance quirked a smile and gestured at her fully clothed state.

"Unlike you, I'm ready to go. Unless you're going to the Hoover building in your sleep-wear?" she pointed out. Seeley glanced down at his vest and sweat-pants with chagrin, realising that he was due at the office in half an hour for an early briefing.

"Oh, this is so not my day," he whined, also coming to the realisation that all of his suits were at his apartment. "I am totally screwed," he lamented. Temperance attempted to suppress her smile at his downtrodden puppy-dog look.

"I have a suit you can wear in my room," she pointed out. Seeley stared at her in surprise.

"You do?" he asked. Temperance nodded, her smile quirking the corner of her mouth.

"Yes. You left it here one night when you fell asleep on my couch and got the Thai sauce all over it, remember? I had it dry cleaned for you but you never picked it up, despite my repeated requests," she added. Seeley grinned and squashed his partner in a hug.

"Bones, you're a genius," he crowed quietly in her ear before pressing a quick kiss to the crown of her head and darting off toward her bedroom. Temperance stared at his departing back, her mouth forming an 'oh' of surprise. After several seconds of deliberately blank thoughts, she shook herself and glanced down at Michael. Blinking at her, he burbled and waved his arms. A smile stretching her face, Temperance set her mug down on her coffee table and picked him up.

"Yes I am," she murmured. "I am a genius. Can you say genius? Go on, say genius. Geen-ie-uss," she enunciated. Michael chortled at her voice and patted her cheeks. "Well, you'll get it eventually," Temperance consoled. "Just keep practicing." Michael babbled briefly before he was distracted by the shiny gold disk attached to her necklace. "Oh, you like this, huh? Remind me later to show you some of the Mayan jewellery we have at the Jeffersonian, hmm?" For the next few minutes she lost herself in playing with her new charge, tickling his little round stomach with her nails and blowing raspberries on his cheeks until soft footsteps alerted her to her partner's return.

Glancing up, she spotted him buttoning his customary belt buckle while he watched her, a warm smile on his face.

"Hey, Bones," he greeted upon seeing her attention. Temperance tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling oddly shy and self conscious.

"Hey yourself," she replied. "Ready to go?" Seeley nodded.

"Yeah. I've got a couple of ties at the office, for situations just like this," he confided, gesturing at his tie-less state. Temperance felt her eyebrow quirk.

"Sudden and unexpected adoptions that leave you rushing from your apartment in the middle of the night?" she queried. Fighting off a slight blush, Seeley shrugged.

"You know what I mean, Bones," he said. "Emergencies, y'know? When ties might not otherwise be available." Temperance blinked in acquiescence before dismissing it as unimportant.

"Fair enough," she said. "So, shall we go?" she asked, lifting Michael out of the crib and gently settling him in his mobile car seat. Seeley blinked, and then scrubbed at his face.

"Are you taking him to the Jeffersonian?" he asked. Temperance nodded in response.

"Yes. Why, is there a problem?" she asked, paying only scant attention as she lifted the handle built into the car seat and stood. Seeley nodded and hefted the small pile of paperwork.

"Kinda," he said. "We've got to get these to Ms. King, remember? I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna escape my briefing this side of two o'clock." Temperance made a displeased sound, but handed over her voluminous brown purse anyway.

"Put them in there. I'll drop them off before I go in. I'll call Cam and let her know I'll be a little late," she said.

"What are we going to say?" Seeley asked, doing as instructed. "To everyone at the lab," he explained at Temperance's curious look. Giving him a look of non-comprehension, Temperance shouldered her purse once more and began making her way to the door.

"We tell them that my neighbour committed suicide and that I'm looking after her infant son with your help," she explained, coaching it in patient tones. Seeley felt a frown crease his brow at her patronising tone.

"You know, you could try talking to me as if I'm not a complete moron," he said as he followed her out.

"I don't think you're a moron, Booth," Temperance protested, mechanically locking the door to her apartment and following her partner down the hall to the elevator.

"Well you sure know how to make me feel like one," he muttered as he repeatedly pushed the call button beside the metal doors, perhaps a little more violently than was strictly necessary. Seeing her partner jabbing the button sharply and noting the stiff set of his shoulders, Temperance felt a spark of guilt.

"I only answered your question," she pointed out, feeling a little hurt. Seeley grumbled to himself under his breath at the downcast look on her face and sighed.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "Can you try not to use the tone though?" he asked, gently bumping her shoulder to let her know they were still fine. She blinked at him guilelessly.

"Tone?" she asked as the doors chimed, signifying the elevator's arrival. Seeley waved her in first and then followed, pressing the ground floor button as he passed.

"Yeah, Bones. You know, the 'I have no idea why you don't understand this, it's so obvious,' tone," he said, rolling his eyes. Temperance glowered at her partner's poor imitation and resisted the impulse to crush her heel into his toes. Barely.

"You asked me a question with an obvious and simple answer, Booth," she said, "why ask me if you know the answer already?" Before he could answer they arrived at the ground floor and she stepped out, swiftly moving toward the lobby.

"Because, Bones," Seeley said as he hastened to catch up, "I wanted to know what you wanted to tell everyone. It's called courtesy," he added, darting in front of her to open the door with a cheesy smile. Temperance huffed and rolled her eyes as she passed, inwardly amused at his somewhat chauvinistic attitude.

"Fine, I thank you for your courtesy," she said, somewhat truthfully. Her partner eyed her uncertainly for a moment.

"You're welcome," Seeley said. "So, you want to meet for lunch if I get out of the briefing early?" he asked. Temperance glanced down at Michael, who gazed at his surroundings with innocent wonder.

"Sure," she said. Seeley grinned at her and then squatted in front of the baby.

"Hey, Little Man," he greeted with a silly grin, "take care of Bones for me, 'kay?" he said. Michael stared back with wide eyes and blinked in response. Chuckling, Seeley stood and fired of a jaunty salute. "Later, Bones!" Temperance smiled and watched his departing back for several moments before a Michael let rip with a gloriously evil sounding laugh. Looking down in surprise, Temperance found herself looking into her young charge's cornflower blue eyes and wondering why she felt that he had somehow grasped something she had missed.

"Nonsense," she muttered, crossing to her car and painstakingly strapping Michael into the back seat. Double and triple checking he was secure, she finally nodded in satisfaction and settled herself into the front seat. With one last glance in the rear view mirror at the happy tot, she turned the key in the ignition and set off on her way to the Washington D.C. social services office.


	3. Chapter 3

A Cry In The Night

Disclaimer: "BONES" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and © by 20th CENTURY FOX TELEVISION.

Chapter 3

By the time Temperance arrived at the Jeffersonian, she was feeling decidedly less than amused. Traffic, as usual, had been disastrous and was compounded by an accident between a taxi and a motorcyclist that had closed down a fairly significant portion of Massachusetts Avenue, forcing her to detour down Wisconsin Avenue and take an additional forty five minutes to reach her destination.

Thankfully she had had no problems reaching the Social Services building and had handed in the relevant paperwork to gain temporary custody, approved by an impeccable and frosty looking Ms. King. Now all she had to do was carry on her day as normal, which shouldn't be too hard.

As if the very thought had doomed her, Michael chose that moment to awaken in the backseat and begin howling his little lungs out. Temperance palmed her face and twisted to look at Michael, trying unsuccessfully to determine the cause of his distress.

"You need to learn to verbalise your needs as soon as possible," she told him in exasperation. Michael ignored her and continued to wail. Sighing, Temperance released her seat belt and got out of the car, opening the rear door and leaning closer. "Hey, Little Guy," she murmured, "what's the matter?" she asked, carefully hooking a finger in the top of his diaper and taking a small sniff. "Not a dirty diaper, thankfully," she said with a grin, then realised that although she could not smell any deposits, that did not mean he had not soiled himself.

Extracting him from his car seat, Temperance moved around to the other side of the car and placed him on the empty back seat to check if he had wet himself, gaining herself a moment of silence as Michael blinked at her curiously. Engrossed as she was, she completely missed the approaching footsteps.

"Bren? What are you doing?" Angela asked. Startled, Temperance attempted to stand and cracked the back of her head against the door frame. "Oh, god! I'm so sorry!" Angela exclaimed. Gritting her teeth, Temperance waived her friends apologies off, gingerly feeling the wounded area as she did so.

"No, it's okay," she said. "I've had worse." Angela sighed in relief before her forehead creased.

"So, what were you doing?" she asked. Temperance paused, unsure how to handle revealing her newfound foster-parent status. Her moment of indecision found the revelation taken out of her hands as Michael chose that moment to start crying again. "Oh my god! What? I mean, Bren, when did you?" Angela said, her brown eyes wide and astonished at the sight of Michael in full baby tantrum.

Temperance flashed her best friend a wry grin and diverted her attention to Michael.

"Everything happened last night," she explained as she checked the diaper more thoroughly.

"I'll say! Though I don't think that you can get pregnant and give birth that fast, Sweetie," Angela quipped. Smirking, Temperance bounced Michael on her hip as she retrieved the baby supply bag from the foot well behind the passenger seat and then set about fishing out a pre-prepared bottle of formula.

"He's not my biological child, Angela," Temperance said, looking amused. "My neighbour…" she paused and looked sad for a moment. "He was my neighbour, Anita's son. It appears as if she committed suicide," she said. Angela placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie. What happened?" she asked. Placing the plastic cap back in the bag, Temperance teased Michael's lips with the bottle for a moment until he latched on and began eagerly suckling.

"I heard him crying last night. At first I ignored it, babies cry after all as they have no other means of getting across their needs. After three hours though, I got annoyed, so I went next door to ask Anita to keep him quiet. She didn't answer the door at all, and I've never known her to leave him alone, so I called Booth," Temperance said. Angela blew out an astonished breath and felt her eyebrows climb toward her hairline.

"Just as well that you did, Sweetie," she consoled. Temperance nodded in agreement, her eyes gazing warmly at the small form in her arms.

"Yes. After that, we found her inside with a large bottle of pills and called the authorities. I think that Booth will let me know what the coroner's report says when it comes in. Social Services arrived afterward and tried to take Michael into their custody but-"

"You threw a hissy fit and held onto him, huh?" Angela interrupted, looking highly amused. Temperance frowned at her friend for a moment.

"I did not throw a 'hissy fit,'" she disagreed. "I merely stated that I would not allow him to go into the system. Booth also helped to convince the case worker to agree to allowing us temporary custody until his family is found. Or not, as the case may be." Angela blinked.

"Wait, back up here. Did you say 'we?'" she asked. Temperance glanced up from her study of Michael's facial features.

"Yes, Booth and I," she clarified. "Ms. King, the Social Worker, agreed to temporary custody provided that Booth assists me." She made a dissatisfied face. "I don't see why he has to help me, but I admit that having his expertise in these matters will likely be more beneficial than attempting to divine solutions by myself," Temperance said. Angela's face split in a wide smile.

"So, Booth is helping you with little Mikey here?" she said. Temperance rolled her eyes.

"His name is Michael," she said, "and yes, Booth is going to be assisting me."

"Oh my god, that is so cute!" Angela squealed. Temperance sighed and disengaged the empty bottle from Michael's grasp, swiftly placing it back in the bag and retrieving a small towel which she placed over her shoulder, lifting Michael into a similar position and gently beginning to pat him on the back. "And oh. My. God, that is so much cuter. When did you get all 'mommy?'" Angela asked, her face beginning to hurt from all the grinning she was doing.

Temperance chuckled.

"Booth was fairly helpful last night," she confided. "He told me what to do." Angela fairly quivered at the revelation. "Don't get too excited, Angela," she warned. "I don't want a child of my own, but taking care of one that is already born? It shouldn't be hard," she said. "I can read a great deal of literature on the subject."

"Ah, Sweetie, I hate to burst your bubble here, but raising a baby? Not as easy as you think," Angela said, wrinkling her nose slightly as Michael burped up a little milk on the towel. Temperance huffed as she cleared up his mouth and settled him back into his car seat.

"How hard can it be? I'm a very intelligent, highly capable adult," she said. Angela's smile faded a little.

"Sweetie, there's more to raising a baby than just knowing the mechanics," she said. Temperance frowned at her friend.

"I know that, Angela, I'm perfectly aware of the emotional and developmental needs of a child. And I will be reading a great deal of literature, remember?" she said. Angela sighed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she said. "At least promise me that you will talk to Booth about this stuff," she begged. Temperance nodded as she shouldered the supply bag and her purse and hefted Michael's car seat by the handle.

"Of course. It shouldn't be a problem anyway, what with him infringing on my hospitality," she groused. Angela felt her grin stretch to epic proportions.

"He's staying with you?" she asked. Tossing her hair in annoyance, Temperance nodded.

"Yes, he managed to insert himself into my apartment quite neatly during the conversation with the social worker," she said. "If it weren't so annoying, I would be impressed." The two began walking toward the lab.

"Annoying?" Angela pried. Temperance made an irritated noise.

"Yes, I value my privacy. Having Booth around my apartment all the time is highly unlikely to be conductive to my relaxation," she said. Angela choked back a laugh.

"Oh, Sweetie," she said, "having a baby around isn't going to help that either, you know. And besides, you and Booth get on like a house on fire!" Temperance gave her friend a quizzical look.

"We combust nearby flammable materials?" she asked. Angela giggled.

"No, Sweetie. You get on really well, even when you're fighting."

"Then why didn't you just say that? I don't understand why people don't just say what they mean. And we don't fight," Temperance added, "we conduct healthy debates!" Angela looked unconvinced, though thoroughly amused as they passed through security, garnering several classical double takes from the security guards as they did so.

"If you say so, Sweetie. And if you think I'm going anywhere," she interrupted before Temperance could say another word, "you're sadly mistaken. I have got to see Cam's face when she sees this!"

"When I see what, Angela?" Cam asked as she approached. Then she caught sight of Michael, peacefully asleep in his car seat at Temperance's side and boggled. "Oh, that answers that," she said faintly.

"Cam, meet Michael," Angela introduced, grinning conspiratorially.

"Hi, Michael," Cam replied by rote, then blinked and shot the artist a wry look. "So, what's going on?" she asked, tilting her head at Temperance curiously. Giving her friend a slightly frosty look, Temperance regarded Cam for a moment.

"My neighbour committed suicide last night," she explained. "I have been given temporary custody until it can be determined if he has any relatives." Cam blinked.

"And, if he doesn't?" she asked. Temperance glanced down at the sleeping baby speculatively.

"Then I will take care of him," she said.

"You mean adopt him," Cam translated. Temperance nodded.

"Yes," she said simply.

"And, you're not concerned about this or how it will affect your work?" Cam asked, a note of incredulity entering her voice. She glanced at Angela, who shrugged and also looked extremely interested in her friend's response. Temperance looked thoughtful for several moments, absently shifting the two bags on her shoulder.

"No," she said, "I can see no way that this would adversely affect me for an extended amount of time. Obviously until plans can be made for Michael's care there would be certain restrictions on what I could and could not do, but for the most part I foresee that there should be no complications," Temperance explained reasonably. Cam stared, incredulous.

"Sweetie, do you really think that Booth will let you take Michael into the field? Granted you did so with Andy, but that was because of the chain of evidence!" Angela pointed out. Temperance made a thoughtful noise and began drifting towards her office, forcing the two women to follow or be left behind.

"for the most part fieldwork is not dangerous," she reasoned aloud. "It's like going out normally. I certainly can understand that Michael would not be allowed along when apprehending a suspect, but otherwise there is no reason that he could not come." Angela and Cam exchanged glances.

"Are you hearing this too?" Cam asked. Angela smiled weakly.

"Yeah, pretty much," she said.

"It's no different than taking him out to go to the supermarket," Temperance said, completely missing the by-play between her colleagues.

"I'm not sure she's fully grasped the consequences," Cam remarked, recognising that the anthropologist would not hear a word they said by her expression. Angela ran a hand through her hair, bangles clacking together gently as she did so.

"Tell me about it," she agreed. "What makes it worse is that she sort of has a point, logically speaking," she added hastily upon seeing Cam's shocked look. "What's different from stepping out to the store and Booth driving them both around during an investigation?"

"The fact that they would be trying to find a criminal and said criminal could get a hold of the baby and use it against them?" Cam pointed out.

"Oh yeah, good point," Angela agreed. Both turned their eyes to Temperance from where they stood at the entrance to her office. "You think she's going to understand that?" Angela asked. Cam gave her a wry look.

"Can pigs fly?" she asked rhetorically. Angela sighed.

"Yeah, me too," she said.

"Hey Ange, Dr. Saroyan," jack's voice interjected from behind. "What's so interesting?" he asked, peering through the gap that appeared between the two women as they turned. His blue eyes widened and he pointed, flabbergasted. "Is, is that a baby?" he asked.

"Dr. Hodgins, meet Michael," Cam remarked, looking amused. Temperance paused in her verbal conjecture, realising that she had mostly ignored the other two women for several minutes and turned.

"Dr. Hodgins," she greeted, spotting him behind her friend.

"Hey, Dr. B," he returned, squeezing in front of his fiancée and approaching the slumbering infant. "Hey Mikey," he greeted in a whisper. Temperance scowled.

"His name is Michael," she reiterated sharply, causing said infant to shift slightly and jack to glance at her in surprise. "Sorry," Temperance offered stiffly, "I just fail to see the point in using a diminutive of a perfectly good name."

"It's called being affectionate, honey," Angela offered, approaching to peek over jack's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with it, you know. Like Booth when he calls you Bones," she offered. Temperance's scowl returned.

"I hate that name," she muttered under her breath. Angela shared an amused look with jack and Cam.

"No, you don't, Sweetie. At least, not when it comes out of Booth's mouth," she said. Temperance rolled her eyes and turned her attention to fishing around in the supply bag, eventually emerging with a pair of baby monitors. Taking her silence as a tacit agreement, Angela smiled victoriously before turning her attention to the slumbering Michael. "He's so cute," she murmured in jack's ear.

"Still want a million?" he quipped back. Angela grinned and nibbled at his ear.

"You betcha!"

"Okay, that's it, I'm out of here before you two start humping each other on the rug," Cam stated dryly. "I'd suggest you do the same, Dr. Brennan," she added.

"Oh, if you're going to do that, can you do it somewhere else?" Temperance asked from where she was setting up the baby monitor. "I don't want you to disturb Michael," she explained at the mildly astonished looks.

"I'm gonna go now," Cam stated and suited actions to words, her heels clicking on the hard flooring outside the office. Chagrined, Angela and jack rose from their squatting positions and meandered toward the door.

"Us too," Angela said. "I'll be in my office, okay?"

"Yeah, uh, okay," Temperance murmured, only half listening. Jack decided that saying anything would likely only draw attention to himself and so silently ushered his fiancée out of the door with a grin. "There, all done," Temperance announced, turning back to the empty room. "Where'd they all go?" she asked herself.

Seeley scrubbed wearily at his face, desperately trying to maintain his concentration on deputy director Cullen as he gave the monthly briefing and progress reports to all the senior agents.

"Am I boring you, Agent Booth?" Cullen's voice intruded sharply. Seeley jerked upright, looking contrite.

"No sir! Sorry sir!" he said.

"I'm glad to hear it. Can I get back to the briefing now?" Cullen asked, quirking an eyebrow. Seeley winced and nodded. "Thanks," Cullen said, dryly before continuing.

"Nice one, Seeley," Marc Robinson whispered snidely from his side. Seeley glowered in response, his already fair dislike for the narcotics agent rising.

"Agent Robinson, would you like to share with the class?" Cullen interrupted again. "Or would you like to continue whispering sweet nothings in Agent Booth's unwilling ear?" Muted chuckles echoed around the room, and Robinson flushed in embarrassment. Seeley suppressed a smile and nodded a subtle thanks to his superior, who flicked his eyes over to him and then back around the room without pause.

"Sorry, sir," Robinson muttered. Cullen nodded sharply and then continued with the briefing once more. The remaining hour passed in a blur of words and distributed cases before Cullen announced an end.

"You all have your briefings and assignments. Get to it, ladies and gentlemen!" Everyone rose to their feet and broke off, clustering together into their respective units and making their way back to their assigned areas. "Agent Booth, a word if you please?" Cullen asked. Seeley concealed a grimace and nodded, following Cullen back to his office and taking a seat when indicated.

"How can I help, sir?" he asked. Cullen reclined in his seat, steepling his fingers in front of his mouth.

"I had an interesting call, this morning," he began. Seeley felt his heart sink. "From the Washington Social Services office, asking if we were indeed asking for a grant of temporary custody for a one," he paused and glanced at a piece of paper on his desk, "Michael Hansen. Care to shed any light on this, Agent Booth? As your name was mentioned, after all."

_I hate Vanessa King,_ Seeley growled silently before clearing his throat.

"Ah, yes sir. Last night Dr. Brennan noticed that an infant in the neighbouring apartment was crying for several hours without interruption. She investigated, but received no response from the apartment's occupant. She then called me, concerned for the child's welfare," he said

"And why did she not call the police, Agent Booth?" Cullen interrupted.

"I cannot say, sir. After receiving her call, I entered the apartment and found Miss Hansen, the child's mother, dead on the floor of her bathroom, from what looked like a drug overdose. As soon as I did so, I called the local PD myself. They attended and the coroner collected the body. Dr Brennan then requested temporary custody of the infant, due to her foster parent status, until any other family could be found. Due to our successful caring for young Andy Taylor previously, we were granted temporary custody," Seeley finished.

"'We,' Agent Booth?" Cullen asked. Seeley flushed slightly.

"Uh, well, I ah, may have assisted with the custody grant by alluding to my parenthood, sir," he stammered.

"That still doesn't explain 'we,' Agent Booth," Cullen pointed out. Seeley smiled weakly.

"Yes sir. Custody was granted to myself and Dr. Brennan, sir," he explained. Cullen smothered an amused look.

"So, are you telling me that you used your position as an FBI agent to persuade a Social Services case worker to assign temporary custody to your partner and yourself, rather than allow this child to be taken into the system?" he asked, watching as Seeley paled and swallowed thickly.

"I, uh…yes, sir," Seeley admitted.

"And how do you think that I should feel about that, Agent Booth?" Cullen asked. Seeley wet his lips and tried to bring his racing thoughts under control.

"Sir, at no time, did I state that I was making a formal request, via the Bureau, for custody of the child. I merely advised Ms. King of our combined expertise and previous success and requested that she check this with her superiors. I may have intimated that her superiors would look favourably on co-operation with the request, but again, at no time did I say that I was making a formal request," he said. Cullen regarded him silently for several moments before leaning forward.

"I'll remind you, Agent Booth, that we are here to catch criminals and do our civic duty. We are not here to pressure, even subtly, other members of the system into doing us favours. However," he said, holding up his hand as Seeley opened his mouth, "I recognise that you were merely attempting to prove that the pair of you were suitable candidates to look after the child, and applaud the efforts you have gone to in order to rescue a child from being with people who might not care so much for his welfare." Cullen felt his lips twitch into a smile at the look of relief on his subordinate's face. "It also helps that I spoke to the miserable so and so at the social services building herself. Quite the character isn't she?" he asked. Seeley blinked.

"Ms. King, sir?" he said. Seeing Cullen nod, he smirked. "Yeah, she's definitely a character, sir." Cullen chuckled.

"So, can I assume that this was the cause of your…wandering attention span today?" he asked. Seeley coloured with embarrassment.

"I apologise, sir. It may have been a contributing factor," he admitted. Cullen nodded.

"Well, in that case I can understand, to a degree. Since I was so…uniquely dragged into this mess I also took the liberty of asking for an update on the situation. Would you like to know what I've been told?" he asked. Seeley nodded.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"I'm afraid young Mr. Hansen is alone in this world. Maternal grandparents, both deceased, no known father. No cousins, remote or otherwise. May I ask what you intend to do with this information?" Cullen asked. Seeley blinked and scrubbed at his face, his thoughts, previously racing, now sluggish and leaden.

"I, I don't know, sir. Tell Bones, I guess. Dr Brennan, I mean," he amended. Cullen sat back and waived it off.

"I'm well aware of your moniker for Dr. Brennan," he said. "According to what I'm told, temporary custody was granted to both of you, Agent Booth. If Dr. Brennan requests an adoption on her own, questions might be asked why you are no longer part of that application. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what that means," he pointed out.

"It could endanger the adoption due to an unstable home life," Seeley muttered.

"Just so," Cullen said. "I'm going to ask you a question, Agent Booth, and I will expect an honest answer. Is there more than partnership between yourself and Dr. Brennan?" he asked. Seeley clamped down on his instinctive response and gazed into the eyes of his superior, a man who had been in his place before and had gotten where he was by being damn good at his job.

"I don't know, sir," he answered at length. Cullen nodded and tapped his index fingers together thoughtfully.

"You know my policies on fraternisation, Agent Booth?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Zero tolerance, sir," Seeley replied.

"And you have been working with Dr. Sweets on your 'partnership issues' since he was assigned to you?" Cullen said.

"Yes, sir," Seeley agreed.

"You would be interested to know some of the things that he reports about you two, I think," Cullen said, noting the rapid narrowing of Booth's eyes carefully. He reached out and picked up a bound report beneath the information he had obtained on the Hansen boy and flipped to the back. "He states that, 'Without doubt there is a bond greater than that of a professional working relationship at play. Despite opposite, and at times conflicting personalities and beliefs, Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan form a symbiotic partnership that also acts as a surrogate relationship for both.

'Although their opposing views often conflict, their deep respect of one another's abilities and opinions allow them to work at an exceptional and highly motivated pace, and should a relationship inevitably develop, their professional demeanour and ability to compartmentalise would no doubt allow them to continue working together in a professional capacity.

'It is my professional opinion that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan be allowed to continue their partnership, lest we be bereft of an incredibly talented team that consistently gets results.'" Cullen eyed the stunned look on Booth's face and smiled slightly. "What I take from that, Agent Booth, is that should such a relationship develop, there would be no detrimental effects to your partnership. Would you agree?" he asked. Seeley stared back, his mouth slightly open as he tried to process his thoughts. "Agent?" Cullen prompted.

"I, uh, yes, yes, sir," Seeley finally managed, feeling as if he had stepped blindly into a trap of epic proportions.

"Good, I'm glad we agree. Since this is such a delicate issue, I believe that you should inform Dr. Brennan personally and discuss it," Cullen said. Recognising the dismissal, Seeley rose from his position and stepped toward the door only to stop and turn back.

"Sir?" he called.

"Yes, Agent Booth?" Cullen replied, glancing up from the report he still held. Seeley hesitated, then gave a short smile.

"Thank you, sir," he said. Cullen returned the smile and nodded.

"You're welcome. Now go and talk to Dr. Brennan," he said.

"Yes, sir," Seeley replied, closing the door behind him as he left. Cullen stared after him for several minutes, before glancing at the small photograph on his desk and picking it up, gently tracing his finger over the image of his wife and daughter with a small, sad smile.

Author's note: Well! Since I got such an overwhelming response to my last chapter, I haven't got much choice but to write a little more! I hope you like this little addition! Feedback is always appreciated, as is criticism.


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